Fabulous Museum Acquisitions

A petrified vertical fossil tree in volcanic rock was enough to excite everybody on a hot afternoon field trip on Australia'sDarling Downs. Close up at right. shows neither branches nor roots.

This eroded fossil stump was what John Mackay first noticedas he prepared the trip before hand April 2012.

This layer of volcanic basalt sits on water laid clay stone. The only conclusion most people could reach was that the trees in the nearby basalt had been floating vertically in water which was then overwhelmed by a volcanic flow.

The semi saturated trees were surrounded by very hot basalt, but the water in the trees stopped them burning up. Some are perserved with bark still attached.

Below the clay stones are Jurassic sand stones containinggiant reeds, seed ferns and many fossil southern pine trees. These and stone are vast stretching from the Australia'seast coast almost to the centre and from the northernCape York to central New South Wales.

A different field trip for a primary school to our Jurassic Arksite near Gympie unearthed several new fossil trees, identical to the ones on the Darling Downs.

The same field trip found the new tree above which had been exposed by recent stormy weather at Caloundra. The presence of the tree in a layer containing big rocks is a sure indicator of a flood deposit.

John Mackay (left) holds the latest acquisition to our museum fossil collection. It's not only great to look at, but further evidence of rapid catastophic deposition. Special thanks to all who continue to fund our research and collection.